Do Colored Overlays and Tinted Lenses Help?
A review found the evidence does not support colored overlays or tinted lenses for reading. Griffiths and colleagues wrote that review in 2016. In 2009, pediatric and eye-care bodies found the evidence did not support tinted lenses or filters. Reading improves with reading instruction. If your child uses an overlay or tinted lens, keep reading instruction going too.
TL;DR
- A review found the evidence does not support colored overlays or tinted lenses for reading. Griffiths and colleagues wrote that review in 2016.
- In 2009, pediatric and eye-care bodies found the evidence did not support tinted lenses or filters.
- The authors of a 2016 review wrote that overlays and lenses "cannot be endorsed" for reading trouble. That is their judgment of a weak set of studies. It does not prove that overlays and lenses do nothing.
- In our view, what your child says about how reading feels counts. If your child uses an overlay or tinted lens, keep reading instruction going too.
- Reading improves with reading instruction. Find which job of reading is going wrong, and work on that one. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Colored overlays are see-through colored sheets laid over a page of print. Tinted lenses are glasses with colored lenses, offered for reading trouble.
”Colored overlaysWhat did a review of overlay and lens studies find?
A review found the evidence does not support colored overlays or tinted lenses for reading. Griffiths and colleagues wrote that review in 2016. The review pulled together 54 sets of study results.
The more carefully run studies gave less support for overlays and lenses. Results did not differ by which overlay or lens system was used. They also did not differ by how the readers' trouble was labeled.
The 2016 review's authors wrote that overlays and lenses "cannot be endorsed" for reading trouble. That is their judgment of a weak set of studies. It does not prove that overlays and lenses do nothing.
We could read only the review's summary.
What else has been found on overlays and lenses?
One review looked at 22 trials of help for children with reading disabilities (Galuschka and colleagues, 2014). Phonics teaching was the only approach it confirmed for reading and spelling. The other approaches had far fewer trials. So their results are partly thin evidence, not proof they do not work. Colored overlays and lenses were one of those other approaches.
In 2009, pediatric and eye-care bodies found the evidence did not support tinted lenses or filters.
Is there a condition that colored overlays are meant to help?
You may have read about a condition that colored overlays are meant to help. We hold no research on what that condition is, or whether it is one. A 2016 review found overlay and lens results did not differ by how readers' trouble was labeled.
Separately, in our view, sore or tired eyes during reading are worth an eye exam. Ask for an eye exam that includes near vision.
What helps the reading?
Reading improves with reading instruction. If your child uses an overlay or tinted lens, keep reading instruction going too.
Find which job of reading is going wrong, and work on that one. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Have hearing and vision checked too. A child who cannot hear well needs that found. So does a child who cannot see the print clearly.
When to ask for help
Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.
- Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
- Reading well below what school expects.
- A teacher who raises a concern about reading.
- Extreme upset about reading.
- Complete avoidance of reading.
- Hopelessness about learning.
- Sadness or worry that lasts.
- Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
- A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.
Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.
In the classroom
If asked about colored overlays, describe the reading you see.
Check for a missed step early. Teach it again, and see what the child does with it.
Two sentences for an email home: "In class, your child reads short words well but gets stuck on long ones. I thought you would want to know."
Key Takeaways
A review found the evidence does not support colored overlays or tinted lenses for reading. Griffiths and colleagues wrote that review in 2016.
In 2009, pediatric and eye-care bodies found the evidence did not support tinted lenses or filters.
The authors of a 2016 review wrote that overlays and lenses "cannot be endorsed" for reading trouble. That is their judgment of a weak set of studies. It does not prove that overlays and lenses do nothing.
Reading improves with reading instruction. If your child uses an overlay or tinted lens, keep reading instruction going too.
Find which job of reading is going wrong, and work on that one. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.
Were you offered a colored overlay or tinted lens? Write down what it is meant to change. Then ask one question: was reading measured? Next, listen to your child read a short page aloud. Note which words went wrong, and what your child did when stuck.
”What to do tonightWhat to use next
A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.
A short reading and spelling practice. Each word appears letter by letter. The picture comes only once the word is complete. So guessing from the image is not available. It includes writing words from memory. That practices the spelling and the writing of a word at the same time.
Common questions from parents
Do colored overlays help with reading?
A review found the evidence does not support colored overlays or tinted lenses for reading. Griffiths and colleagues wrote that review in 2016. The more carefully run studies gave less support for overlays and lenses. The 2016 review's authors wrote that overlays and lenses "cannot be endorsed" for reading trouble. That is their judgment of a weak set of studies. It does not prove that overlays and lenses do nothing. Reading improves with reading instruction.
Is there a condition that colored overlays are meant to help?
You may have read about a condition that colored overlays are meant to help. We hold no research on what that condition is, or whether it is one. A 2016 review found overlay and lens results did not differ by how readers' trouble was labeled. Separately, in our view, sore or tired eyes during reading are worth an eye exam. Ask for an eye exam that includes near vision.
Do tinted lenses help dyslexia?
A review found the evidence does not support colored overlays or tinted lenses for reading. Griffiths and colleagues wrote that review in 2016. In 2009, pediatric and eye-care bodies found the evidence did not support tinted lenses or filters. Reading improves with reading instruction. If your child uses an overlay or tinted lens, keep reading instruction going too.
What if my child says an overlay helps?
In our view, what your child says about how reading feels counts. If your child uses an overlay or tinted lens, keep reading instruction going too. Find which job of reading is going wrong, and work on that one. The exception is a skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.